Jay Hunt, the chief creative officer of Channel 4, writes in Thursday's Daily Telegraph that she bought Bake Off to stop satellite broadcasters swooping for the show, and pledged to give the programme “a safe home”.

Love Productions, which owns the Bake Off brand, is 70 per cent owned by Sky, and Ms Hunt said the show had “risked coming off free to air television altogether” after talks with the BBC broke down on Monday.

The current series of Bake Off will be the last on the BBCCredit:
BBC

Why Bake Off will be safe in Channel 4's marquee

by Jay Hunt

Last Sunday I was standing outside the International Broadcast Centre in Rio. I was waiting for Sophie Morgan and JJ Chalmers, who’d just come off air after three hours presenting live coverage of the Paralympics.

They were exuberant and deservedly so. JJ is a disabled veteran. Sophie is paralysed from the chest down. A few months ago they’d never fronted a TV show.

Bake Off risked coming off free to air television altogetherJay Hunt

Now they’re part of the Channel 4’s critically acclaimed team, the most diverse collection of producers and presenters ever assembled. The Rio Paralympics on 4 is a series of TV firsts.

A staggering 700 hours of live coverage. More than two thirds of our on screen talent are disabled. Behind the scenes, 20 new disabled production trainees have been given their first break.

It’s a multi-million pound investment in developing and showcasing disabled talent. The sort of loss leading commitment only Channel 4 would make.

As a public service broadcaster with a remit to innovate we are constantly commissioning shows that challenge preconceptions and promote change. And we do that without a penny of public money.

We’ve got a good track record on protecting and growing the shows viewers loveJay Hunt

Channel 4 is owned by the Government but funded by advertisers and it is that unique model which enables us to deliver both public and commercial value.

From its inception, Channel 4 has cross subsidised to ensure the shows that deliver ratings and revenue support the shows that deliver our remit.

From The Simpsons to Sex in the City, Big Brother to Desperate Housewives, Channel 4 has backed commercial programming to allow it to invest in innovation.

Bake Off presenters Mel Giedroyc and Sue Perkins will not move to Channel 4

This week, after talks broke down at the BBC, we announced that the Great British Bake Off would be coming to Channel 4. I’m a former controller of BBC One and have spent most of my career at the BBC. I know only too well the unique contribution it makes to the cultural landscape in this country.

The BBC and Love Productions grew Bake Off from a quaint idea into a global hit. But when they were unable to reach agreement on future series, Bake Off risked coming off free to air television altogether.

We’ve given great talent who’ve left the BBC the opportunity to thrive hereJay Hunt

By bringing the show to 4, Love Productions have ensured it will be on a terrestrial channel for audiences to enjoy for years to come. And we’ve got a good track record on protecting and growing the shows viewers love – from Jamie Oliver to Formula One, we’ve given great talent who’ve left the BBC the opportunity to thrive here.

Bake Off wasn’t created by 4 but it epitomises many of the values we were set up to promote. It’s high quality. Diverse. Inspiring. All attributes Channel 4 is tasked with delivering. But it’s also a huge hit, not just here but globally.

Paul Hollywood and Mary Berry have not yet decided whether to make the moveCredit:
Mark Bourdillon

Bake Off has been sold to 23 countries and is coming back, year in year out, in markets as varied as Denmark and Australia. Acquiring Great British Bake Off is not only a way of keeping a fantastic show from going behind a pay wall. It will drive revenue for Channel 4 and help us make even more of the innovative and experimental programming that has seen us crowned Channel of the Year twice in three years.

We will pay for it out of the savings we’ve made, as horseracing moves to ITV, and by topping up the programme budget from the reserves we’ve accrued over several years of good financial planning.

We love it just as it isJay Hunt

It will allow us to produce more risk taking drama like Wolf Hall director Peter Kosminsky’s thrilling mini-series on British recruits joining ISIS or ambitious factual like our recreation of Captain Bligh’s 4000 mile journey across the Pacific.

It will support our commitment to great foreign current affairs with Unreported World and domestic undercover investigation with Dispatches and Channel 4 News. And it’ll allow us to maintain our support for the Paralympics.

But more than that, the Great British Bake Off will have a safe home. The show of soggy bottoms and good crumb will be made by exactly the same team who have always made it. We love it just as it is. And for an amateur baker like me, that’s a real cause for celebration.